We created STABiLGO to help us better film all of the activities we love to do. As cinematographers, we wanted to make a stabilizer that would allow us to film action sports as well as get that all-impressive crane shot. And most important, that it can be achieved with a portable, handheld device. We spent nine months on research and development in our apartment in NYC. The STABiLGO was made using readily available and affordable electronics as well as custom built parts. Over that time, we made the device lighter and more compact with a better range of movement. It was also reprogrammed to attain better response time.

We were excited by the results we were achieving in test scenarios. The next step was to get extreme real world footage from the hands of someone that never saw it before. We put the STABiLGO in a backpack and biked over to the skate park to meet up with a pro-skateboarding videographer. We handed him the device, turned on the camera and told him to go for it. He hopped on a board and followed a skater around the park. The video below is the result of his first time using the device. Not only is the footage stable, but he was able to follow the action effortlessly. He captured a series of action sequences in a crowded skate park: over spines, inverted bowls and other features.

“A
Game Changer” –Vic, pro-skatingboarding cinematographer

Our project:

STABiLGO is an
affordable, motorized stabilizer for active cinematography aimed
at GoPro users. A
high-speed processor and state of the art gyroscopic sensor work in tandem to
keep the camera both perfectly horizontal and vertical. The STABiLGO allows
for 180 degrees of pitch movement and 270 degrees of roll movement. It frees you to
independently capture movement without a crew or cumbersome equipment. You will
produce more usable, cinematic footage with a handheld device. Put the STABiLGO on a monopod or tripod for an instant
auto-leveling, portable crane. At 1.5lbs, with a GoPro attached, the design minimizes weight making it ideal for active cinematography.

Our goal:

At this point, our goal is to introduce STABiLGO to the
community to see how far we can take it. Whether beta testers get to enjoy it
or it goes to full production is up to you. We’d love to take this to full production
to get it into the hands of cinematographers. We also plan to further develop
the easy-to-change, integrated battery before production. We hope our video
demos speak for themselves and make you excited to support it. Our long-term goal is to
continue to innovate as cameras get smaller with higher resolution.

(Left) Prototype 2: Programming is good now working on the physical model. (Right) Current model, Prototype 3: Added ball and socket joint to handle. Streamlined for ease of manufacturing.

(Left) Working in the apt lab/bathroom on custom handle. (Center) Tooling the handle to hold the battery. (Right) Current handle in beta version. Final battery compartment door will be the last phase of design that we need your support on.

Meticulously soldering…

Manufacturing:

Having
manufactured products in the past we are well-versed in the process of getting
a product made. The final design will be better than the current prototype as
the STABiLGO will get one final adjustment before a full production run. The
battery compartment door will be designed and made of ABS plastic or silicon
rubber. This will allow the battery to be changed for a fully charged one for
continuous shooting over 90 minutes. We have made contact with vendors and
manufactures in China and we will be taking this to full production, or nothing.

First,
we will gather the readily available parts and electronic components while we
simultaneously manufacture the custom parts. Those two processes will meet for
assembly, programming, quality control, and packaging and then be shipped out.
They will be assembling the product right along with us. Quality control is important
to us and we look forward to making a quality product. We also have access to a
small warehouse outside the city; we may ship the units out of there so we can better manage customer service. We only need to make 150 units to get this going. The
greater number of people that invest up front, the better the unit will be, with
added luxuries like branded retail packaging as well as a more rapid production
process. We have invested our own money from the beginning and will be
continuing to personally invest to bring this to a retail sales level.

We
want to get the patent pending STABiLGO in the hands of a community of cinematographers to
help it evolve. We have come far from the first zip-tied model to a point where
we can see this being completed. All it takes now is community support to
finish it. We are ready for full production with your support.

Here’s
where we are:

• Completed concept

• Built and tested 3 generations of prototypes

• Tested a range of materials

• Redesigned the unit to be mass-manufacture
friendly

• Tested an alpha model in the real world

• Optimized code

Here
are some dates that we have for production. This should help you to further
understand our manufacturing timeline:

If
you decide to pitch in, you’ll get a discount and be one of the first to have
our product in your hands. We can’t wait to see what you shoot!

Product
description:

STABiLGO is a high performance, motorized stabilizer for
action cinematography aimed at GoPro users. It works seamlessly with your gear and comes
complete. All the mounts are standard 1/4-20 threads and the unit quickly
attaches to your existing equipment; standard GoPro mounts, a tripod, etc.
Every unit comes with a battery and a charger.

The
full production models will be factory-made and come completely packaged.

Beta
testers will receive a handmade and hand-assembled device. This tier is for
people who want to offer real world experience and feedback to the project or are
just excited to have it first, even if it’s a handmade model. It will be sent
preprogrammed and hand packaged.

Features: The
unit utilizes two brushless motors controlled by the 32-bit MCU flash
microcontroller. The gyro unit feeds data to the mini CPU to keep it level. Lightning
fast response time is achieved with a high-speed processor and state of the art
gyroscopic sensor working in tandem to keep the camera perfectly horizontal
and vertical. The gimbal is cut from carbon fiber plates. The handle is ABS
plastic. High flex silicon wires allow for free movement. Like any gimbal, you
attach your camera and set the center of gravity (COG).

32-bit MCU flash microcontroller and motor.

Specs:

• Weight: 470g/16.5oz (670g/23.5oz with a GoPro)

• Run Time: 90+ minutes on full charge, continuous usage

• Roll angle limit: 270 degrees

• Pitch angle limit: 180 degrees

• Suitable payload: 120g-400g; width: 79mm max

• Cameras known to fit: GoPro* HERO2, HERO3

• Power: LiPo battery- 7.4v 1000Mah 20c

• Current: 160mA ~ 400mA

• COG adjustment range: X: 27.5mm Y: 11.5mm Z: 35.5mm

Product
Demonstration Video:

About us:

Michael and Christine live on the Lower East
Side in NYC. Michael is a Technical Producer and Video Editor. Christine is a
Photography Director. We have over 15 years of photography and video experience where we’ve had the opportunity to work with some talented people on music videos, stop-motion animations and feature films. Between Michael’s technical skills and Christine producing, our creative focus and ability to produce and direct our own projects has led us on many adventures. We both enjoy snowboarding, biking and visual arts. We set out to build a device that would help us better shoot the action sports we love to do. We didn’t imagine this as a mass produced product until friends and bystanders saw us using it and encouraged us to share it with the community. It’s just the two of us working on this and putting all of our free time into its development. We hope that you will join us in making the STABiLGO project a reality.

*GoPro is not included. We are not affiliated with GoPro, but we think their products are awesome!

Risks and challenges

As soon as our full production goal is reached, we’ll be actively working with vendors and manufacturers. Quality control is a major focus of ours and we will oversee it at every level. The project could possibly face challenges or delays if the quality of the product or packaging does not meet our requirements. The number of backers on Kickstarter will help determine how we handle production. The more support we receive from the community the higher level of quality product we will be able to produce.

FAQ

Yes! Weather-proof looks doable with a silicone sleeve over the electronic area and an adjusted bell for the brushless motor that is sealed. We will invest as much work and design into in the final product as we can depending on how much community support we get. Waterproof? No.

We love shooting DSLR too. Right now, we are focusing on the GoPro. We believe that cameras will continue to decrease in size and increase in resolution and frame rate. We are also focusing on action cinematography and sports, but also consider reality-style tv and how they would benefit from a rig like this.
STABiLGO can fit any cameras that are GoPro size or smaller: 120g-400g; width: 79mm max.

If funded, the production model will have the design refined from the final stage prototype you see in the video. Exposed power wires will be incorporated into the design and casting of parts. The ball socket will be better integrated within the handle to shorten the overall height.

$35 reward

$550 reward

Early Production: Get a full production unit straight off the line. (Minus branded packaging and allen tool.) Estimated shipping late Dec 2013 early Jan 2014.

Estimated delivery:Jan 2014

Ships anywhere in the world

You selected

$600 reward

18 backers
Limited (82 left of 100)

Full production: The complete retail unit. You get one of the first 100. Estimated shipping early Jan 2014.

Estimated delivery:Jan 2014

Ships anywhere in the world

You selected

$600 reward

1 backer
Limited (999 left of 1000)

February full production: The complete retail unit. Get it now for $99 less than retail for being an early supporter. Estimated shipping late Jan 2014 early Feb 2014.

Estimated delivery:Feb 2014

Ships anywhere in the world

You selected

$600 reward

1 backer
Limited (1999 left of 2000)

March full production: The complete retail unit.
Estimated shipping late Feb 2014 early Mar 2014.

Estimated delivery:Mar 2014

Ships anywhere in the world

You selected

$1,000 reward

9 backers
Limited (1 left of 10)

Beta Tester: Beta testers will receive handmade and hand-assembled devices. This tier is for people who want to offer real world experience and feedback to the project or are just excited to have it first, even if it’s a handmade model. You will also receive a final production version when it ships.
(1 beta version, 1 production version)

Estimated delivery:Sep 2013

Ships anywhere in the world

You selected

$1,000 reward

2 backers
Limited (3 left of 5)

Beta Tester 2.0: The second wave of beta testers will receive handmade and hand-assembled devices. This tier is for people who want to offer real world experience and feedback to the project or are just excited to have it first, even if it’s a handmade model. You will also receive a final production version when it ships. (1 beta version, 1 production version)

Estimated delivery:Oct 2013

Ships anywhere in the world

Funding period

Jun 16, 2013 - Jul 16, 2013
(30 days)

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